Contraception usage over the age of 40 in Polish female population aged 45 - 54.

Objective: Analysis of particular contraception method usage over the age of 40 as declared by Polish women aged 45-54 according to their education level and place of residence.

Method: The research was conducted with help of a standardized questionnaire in a Polish nationwide representative sample of women aged 45-54 years (n = 1083) in April 2004.

Results: 28% of sexually active women over 40 years old did not use any contraception methods. Most of them were country dwellers (41%), a lower proportion lived in small/moderate towns (27%), and a significantly lower percentage was made by big city dwellers (14%). Among the most popular contraception methods the respondents indicated coitus interruptus (32%), condoms (30%) and the calendar method (26%). Oral contraception was used by 12% of women.

Conclusion: A considerable percentage of sexually active women aged more than 40 years do not use any contraception method at all or use unreliable methods. Highly reliable methods (condoms, contraception pills) are much more popular among city dwellers. Contraception pills are used by twice as many city dwellers as rural dwellers (16% versus 8%) and by 12% of women from small/moderate towns. Rates of condom usage are also differentiated and vary from 42% in big cities to 26-27% in rural areas and small/moderate towns. Although poor availability of the contraception pill might explain some differences in its usage, it is difficult to quote this factor in the case of condoms.